“The best way to find yourself, is to lose yourself
in the service of others.”
This
very poignant observation was made by the great Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi, who successfully led a
non-violent movement against the British colonial rule of India, securing
its independence in 1947. By any measure, he was an exceptional humanitarian
who spent his life in the pursuit of peace through service and non-violence. He
lived his life by the Hindu principle of Satyagraha,
dictated by a life of non-violence and dominated by truth and by service to
others. He was a man of great principle who believed that nothing should ever
be achieved at the expense of others, but only by service to them. His
principles not only found expression in India, but influenced such great
leaders as Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela to adopt them in their
fight to free their own people from domination.
This urge to serve others is not a special gift restricted
only to a few chosen people, but is widely echoed in the actions of an endless
list of people from all nations and all walks of life. These are the people who
took the time to listen to their inner voices, to explore their own needs, and
find their true selves. They are the people who choose to give, not because
they have too much, or are seeking to gain more, but rather because they have
learnt the true meaning of living and sharing with others. They took the time
to search for and find their humanity, and rejected the loud and self-centered
noises created by a world intent on keeping all and ignoring all. These people,
who may be our friends, neighbors, leaders or strangers, choose to exhibit an
entirely different approach to life and living. They are people who are not
preoccupied with seeking more and more, but rather who prefer to be guided by
the instinct of sharing and giving. Their satisfaction is routed in the act of
giving and not in the act of taking.
The
overriding factors which seem to drive these people to persist in their
efforts, often under extremely challenging conditions, appear to be quite
constant and predictable and often fall under the following headings. Their
actions are always unconditional
without any expectation of a reward or pay back. Their orientation is never self-directed, but more outwardly. The focus
is much less “me” and much more what can be done to help others in need. The mindset shifts from receiving to giving,
and the reward is in the giving itself. People find
a sense of gratitude in the acts of giving and this serves to encourage them to do more. This
explains why each act, irrespective of content or difficulty, serves to
reinforce the ego and imprints the need for repetition. It gives truth to the
saying “no act of true service, however
small or painful, is ever wasted.”
The fundamental instinct for giving of oneself without
regard as to whether a reward is expected in return or not has been studied by
endless numbers of psychologists and behaviorists over the years. A range of
theories have been put forward but there is as yet no common definitive
consensus. This is not surprising since there has never been uniformity in the
understanding of the psychology of giving. Like so much of human behavior, the
mechanism is based on a mixture of three fundamental factors which operate
together to produce the final result:
INTRINSIC, based on the basic evolutional instinct of ensuring survival of the
group and is often seen in the many voluntary preferential actions supporting
communities, groups and family units.
EGOTISTIC, where the need to give of themselves is the strong motivational force
that drives their life. Mother Teresa of
Kolkota is a prime example of this, as she devoted her whole life to the
care of the indigent and the helpless people on te streets of India.
ALTRUISTIC, where the individual feels compelled to share his knowledge and his
resources because he considers it is the right thing to do. Dr. Albert Schweitzer, the great Swiss
physician, philosopher and humanitarian who chose to establish a hospital to
serve the sick and needy in a remote village in Africa
is an excellent example.
But
for all these people, choosing a life of service offers far greater benefits
than just the satisfaction of the moment. It can in fact be the nucleus to
induce profound changes in the individual, and the entire environment. It
produces a transformation of the deeply embedded negative attitudes, improves
overall insight and opens the horizons to a more permissive and inclusive
awareness of people and their separate needs. As this evolves, perceptions
broaden giving rise to an increase in maturity and a loss of the deeply
embedded fears and insecurities. Multiple scientific studies have confirmed the
very positive physical and emotional benefits experienced by both the giver as
well as the recipients that follow a successful episode. Without question, this
action of serving others in need creates greater impact on the psyche, and
provides more satisfaction than any other human encounter. The individual as a
result grows in confidence and in stature, and his actions are held in high
regard by friend and foe alike. An easily identifiable aura of peace and
satisfaction appears to emanate from them, even as they face great uncertainty
and resistance.
All
the major religions in the world, without exception, are founded on the
humanitarian principles of service to their God and to man. The concepts of
service and sacrifice are deeply embedded in the teachings and practices of
all, and the values are deeply rooted in their texts, traditions and practices.
The Christians refer to it as Charity, Judaism
uses Tzedakah, and Islam insists on Zakat. Hindus speak of Satyagraha, serving others, as a great virtue, and Buddhists consider the service to others as Good Karma. But irrespective of the
religion, the overriding consensus is that the action improves the being and
pleases God. This was made abundantly clear in the writings of Abdul Baha, one of the founders of the Bahai Religion when he explained:
“Service to Humanity is service to God. Let the
love and light of the Kingdom radiate through you until all who look upon you
will be illuminated by its reflections. Be as the stars, brilliant and
sparkling in the loftiness of their heaven station.”
-In the end, especially for the Christians, all will
be judged not by the mountains they conquered, or the fortunes they amassed, or
the power they acquired, or the battles they won, or even the people they
controlled, but by the sacred words of Jesus Christ contained in the Holy Bible:
- In Acts
20:35:
”In all
things I have shown that by working hard in this way, we must help the weak.
And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said: - “It is more
blessed to give than to receive.”
-And in Matthew 25:40:
“Whatever you do to the least of my
brothers, you do to me.”
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And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season
we will reap, if we do not give up. -
Galatians 6:9
As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as
good stewards of God’s varied grace.
- 1 Peter 4:10
In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this
way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he
himself said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.
- Acts 20:35
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